Latest news with #MáireNíMhurchú
Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Irish woman detained by Israel in the West Bank
An Irish woman has been detained by Israel in the West Bank , according to an activist group. Máire ní Mhurchú, known as D Murphy (70), was detained by Israeli police on Saturday in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank, according to the International Solidarity Movement, the Palestinian anti-occupation group with which the Irish woman has been volunteering since May. Originally from Cork but living in Swansea, Wales, Ms Murphy was arrested alongside Swedish activist Susanne Björk (48) in Khalet al-Daba'a, a small Palestinian village that was largely demolished by Israeli forces in early May. After Israeli soldiers ordered the activists to leave, the women activists were reportedly stopped while leaving the village by Israeli settlers serving as reservists with the military. READ MORE The Israeli police were called and subsequently detained Ms Murphy and Ms Björk for being in a closed military zone. According to the International Solidarity Movement, Ms Björk is now due to be deported while Ms Murphy is fighting a deportation order and facing imprisonment. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been contacted for comment. Ms Murphy is a founding member of Swansea Palestine Community Link and was previously detained in Israel in 2011, when she travelled to the Jewish state with the Welsh pro-Palestine group. Her son, Dale Ryan, said: 'As far as I can see her only crime was observing crimes against Palestinian people. D has always had a strong sense of justice and I know she could not sit at home while she knew her friends in Masafer Yatta and all of Palestine were suffering unnecessarily. 'I am very proud of my mother for sticking up for the basic human rights of her friends and trying to raise awareness of the injustices the Palestinian people are experiencing.' The 120-person community at Khalet al-Daba'a is one of a dozen Palestinian hamlets in Masafer Yatta inside an area that the Israeli authorities designated as a military firing zone in the 1980s. After a long legal battle, Israel's supreme court approved the eviction of 1,000 residents from the villages in the occupied West Bank in 2022. Amnesty International says ongoing settler attacks and demolitions place communities in Masafer Yatta at risk of forcible transfer. International law prohibits both the expropriation of occupied land for purposes that do not benefit the people living there and their forcible transfer. In 2024, the far-right Israeli security minister Itamar Ben Gvir established a special task force within Israel's West Bank police unit to target left-wing activists in the West Bank including foreign nationals and supporters of the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement. According to the Israeli outlet Haaretz, at least 16 foreign activists working with Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained and deported from Israel since October 2023. Activists often accompany Palestinian shepherds and farmers who are at risk of forced displacement, as well as violence from the IDF and local settlers while they work. In 2024, the UN recorded 4,250 Palestinians who were displaced, 1,760 structures that were destroyed and about 1,400 violent incidents involving Israeli settlers across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Irish Examiner
22-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Self-catering operators seek clarity on new letting rules
The representative body for short-term letting, the Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCG), are 'inundated' with calls from members looking for clarity on what exactly the new rules for short-term letting to be introduced from next year mean for them. Chief executive officer Máire Ní Mhurchú said short-term letting answers the complexity of demands, and while the ISCF welcomes a register of all short-term lets, it is not at all clear what it will mean for members all over the country. The ISCF said the government was in danger of shutting down a vital industry, and an industry that is particularly important in tourist areas and for family income. The Government announced the Register for Short-Term Tourism Letting Bill following last Tuesday's cabinet meeting. The legislation will introduce a register for all Short Term Lets (STLs) in Ireland, which will be implemented and managed by Fáilte Ireland from 20 May 2026, ensuring compliance with the new EU Short Term Rental Regulation, which was adopted by the EU on 11 April 2024. Minister for Tourism Peter Burke expects the register will free up long-term letting for towns with populations over 10,000 and in rent pressure zones as well as improving compliance with planning. Failte Ireland will police the register. 'Politicians have stated that towns and villages with populations under 10,000 will not require planning permission for short-term rental businesses. However, there has been no clear communication regarding support or guidelines for existing businesses in larger towns and cities,' Ní Mhurchú said. Towns like Killarney and Tramore, for instance, with populations over 10,000, are likely to need planning permission - but it is not clear where the boundaries lie. The whole of the Killarney Municipal District, for instance, includes several rural villages. While the Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF) acknowledges the introduction of this legislation, there had been little prior consultation with industry stakeholders, the CEO said. 'This approach undermines the second-largest sector in Ireland's tourism accommodation market, leaving many of our members deeply concerned about the future of their businesses. The industry urgently needs clarity on planning regulations for existing operations and clear guidelines for the development of the short-term rental sector— the fastest-growing segment of tourism accommodation.' In 2024, Eurostat reported a 28.3% increase in short-term rental bookings across the EU, totalling 123.7m nights in the first quarter alone. However, Ireland's performance has been less robust, with a 4% decline in the number of nights international visitors stayed compared to 2023. To illustrate the impact of disorganised regulation on the sector, the ISCF has developed a series of children's books in Irish and in English, accusing the government of not understanding the complexity of this part of the tourist industry, or of how vital it is for family incomes along the west coast. It is not fair to blame self-catering in Connemara or Waterford for the lack of housing, according to the children's books. 'Granny and others had spent all their money fixing up houses for visitors, but now they were being blamed for not having enough homes for people to live in. Grandad had died a long time ago, and Mum said the money Grandad earned paid for the car and sent her to university…" At present, all short-term letting properties with the exception of a principal private residence based in rent pressure zones, such as Killarney, are required to have appropriate planning permission, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment said. Renting out a room in a principal private residence does not require planning, but renting out the entire house for more than 90 days does. With the new register, hosts offering short-term letting accommodation for periods up to and including 21 nights will be obliged to register with Fáilte Ireland and display their registration number in all advertising. People breaching the rules could face stringent financial penalties, the Department said.
